MONTPELIER – Vermont’s unemployment rate fell 0.3 percent in February to 4.4 percent, the state Department of Labor announced Friday. The state continues to have the fourth lowest unemployment rate in the country. The national average last month was 7.7 percent.February represents the seventh consecutive month without an increase in the state’s unemployment rate. “We were very pleased to see that the number of unemployed workers in Vermont continues to decline,” said Labor Commissioner Annie Noonan. “This data which the department collects for this report also showed a decline in the total number of employed, but interestingly, Vermont employers are reporting an increase in jobs.”